Hi Satadala, I think you have enough experience to get a job as a game tester. So it’s hard to know why you have not been hired yet, you may just need to be persistent and keep applying. You should also try applying for smaller game studios, as EA/Ubisoft/Etc. likely receive hundreds of applications each week. You may have better luck with a smaller studio to start out.

I might be biased, but this is my favorite on the list. Customer service is a skill that takes patience, dedication and perseverance, but it’s also a skill that can apply to almost every industry. Getting into this industry as a Customer Support Agent will give you an inside view of the companies you would like to start a career with – and with a company like 5CA, you’ll also have doors opening in other similar industries that you may find you enjoy more.

The overall job outlook for Video Game Designer careers has been negative since 2004. Vacancies for this career have decreased by 32.33 percent nationwide in that time, with an average decline of 5.39 percent per year. Demand for Video Game Designers is expected to go up, with an expected 7,940 new jobs filled by 2018. This represents an annual increase of 11.59 percent over the next few years.
Hi Jason, I seem to find myself in a predicament. Currently I am moving on to my senior year at Penn State and I need a new major. I was pursuing Computer Engineering, but programming and I do not get along very well (Once you go past “if” statements I’m Lost). So my first question is, what majors are good for entering the game industry, that don’t involve programming. My next question is about finding an entry-level position that I can learn on the job. I used your job search tool that you provided and most jobs seemed to require previous experience, any suggestions there?
I've seen a wide variety of people succeed in game testing roles. Everyone from a recent College graduate with a Computer Science Degree (or equivalent) to someone who has been working in a manual labor or retail position and looking for a way to get into the tech industry. I work with a wide variety of companies and managers and each has their own ideal candidate. Not everyone that applies to a specific game testing role will be a fit due to specific needs of each team. That being said, there are some skillsets and characteristics that are common across all roles: strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent troubleshooting and problem solving, and demonstrated ability to work at a high level within a team environment while also able to be an independent contributor. Of course, and most important, being a huge fan of gaming.
Hi Evan, thanks for the questions. First of all, playtesting isn’t a full-time job, you might be thinking about the QA Tester job that’s described in this article. That is a full-time job, and most companies do not require a degree to do that job. Also, there are dozens (hundreds?) of game studios in the US, so I recommend you don’t limit yourself as to which one you’d work for when you first start out — you’ll have a lot to learn, and you can learn at most any game company.
Testers don’t normally need to travel very often, but it depends on what kind of company you’re working for. If you end up being a tester on a project that’s developed in a different town than where you’re testing it – for example if you’re working for a publisher in San Francisco but the developer is in Seattle – then you might need to travel occasionally. If you can’t travel for some reason, it’s probably not a deal-breaker for most testing companies.
The perfect job! Drink while working or work while drinking! I need you to playtest a drinking party game (dare type, barnyard themed) while checking various aspects of the game: - which cards aren't working/fun. what changes could be made to them (rewording, rating and etc) - is there a way to balance the game better - is the game even fun? - what's the weakest part of the game? - how did the theme and characters fit this type of game? Requirements: - Testing will need to be conducted 3-4 times in 1 week. - Before testing we'll come up with a simple questionnaire that you'll ask your friends (did you like the game? would you buy it? what did you like most/least about it? would you play it again?). - You will need to print out the game (we'll send you the pdfs of cards) - During the test you will need to gather other info to report on (comments on content, reactions to content, playing time and etc). Comments on content can be written in the doc I'll send you, the rest we can just discuss over skype. - You'll propose changes and correction according to that report. :) If we work well together, I'll ask you to continue playtesting the game and even get involved in other game projects later. :) I would rather pay per playtest. So if you know that you are able to test an x amount of times, send me your offer.